(Initial) Cell Selection Process

There exist two cell selection procedures:

Initial Cell Selection

The UE has to find a suitable cell of the PLMN, which was selected by
the NAS. To do so, the mobile phone scans all radio frequency carriers of
UTRA. Hereby, the UE focuses its cell search to the strongest cell on
each carriers. As soon as the mobile phone has found a suitable cell, it
selects it. In contrast to the cell selection procedure stored information
cell selection, this procedure does not require knowledge in advance,
which of the scanned radio frequency bands holds UTRA carriers.
Stored Information Cell Selection
To speed up the cell selection process for instance, when the UE is
switched on again information about UTRA carriers, even cell
parameters such as cell scrambling codes can be stored in the UE. The
UE uses this information to find a suitable cell of the PLMN, which was
selected by the NAS. If the cell selection based on stored information in
the UE fails e.g. the selected PLMN cannot be found the UE continues
the cell selection process based on the Initial Cell Selection procedure.

Both for Initial Cell Selection and Stored Information Cell Selection, a cell
is only suitable for the UE to camp on, if it fulfils the cell selection
criterion S:
Cell Selection When Leaving the RRC Connected Mode
The subscriber just has terminated a call, i.e. the UE was in the RRC
connected mode, dropping back into the RRC idle mode. Which cell is
then a candidate cell for the UE to camp on?
Candidate cells are the ones, the UE was connected immediately before
call termination. But these cells must be suitable cells. If non of these
cells is suitable or fulfils the criterion S - , the UE starts the Stored
Information Cell Selection procedure.
There is a difference, when the UE returns to the RRC idle mode after an
emergency call on any PLMN. Here, candidate cells to be selected to
camp on are cells, to which the UE was connected to immediately
before it terminated the emergency calls. These cells have to be only
acceptable cells. But if non of these cells is acceptable, the UE has to
start look for acceptable cells, while it is in the internal state Any cell
selection.
 Cell Reselection procedure

There are 3 main parameters which control the Intra-frequency Cell

Reselection:
1. Cell reselection triggering time (WCEL): Treselection (default value = 2 sec)
2. Cell reselection hysteresis 2 (WCEL): Qhyst2 (default value = 2dB)
3. Cell Re-selection Quality Offset 2 (ADJS): AdjsQoffset2 (default value = 0dB)

The cell reselection applies when the measured Ec/No of the SC in active
set is greater or equal to Squal Sintrasearch = -18 + 10 = -8 dB
The UE starts measuring the neighbors cell and it will reselect to another
cell if: